The invention concerns a method for monitoring a laser machining operation to be performed on a work piece as well as a sensor device for carrying out a method of this kind and a laser machining head with a sensor device of this kind.
From WO 90/10520 is already known a method for quality assurance in laser beam welding and cutting, in which the ultraviolet light produced from a plasma cloud during material machining, for checking laser beam coupling and other process parameters, is detected with an UV-sensitive photodiode which is arranged in a detector head. In addition or instead of the UV-sensitive photodiode an IR-sensitive photodiode can be provided in the detector head, wherein the IR-sensitive photodiode can be shielded by a slidable stop from the welding hearth of laser machining.
In order to be able to detect the radiation from the plasma cloud, the plasma cloud which arises in the region or in the environment of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece, that is, e.g. in the region of the welding hearth, is projected onto the photodiode or diodes. The stop for interrupting direct visual contact between photodiode and welding hearth is in this case arranged in a region between projection lens and photodiode as a set screw which is slidable perpendicularly to the optical axis of the projection lens.
Further, it is known from the article by L. Schlichtermann et al., xe2x80x9cMonitoring laser welding processes on-line with LWM 900xe2x80x9d, that the radiation arising in the region or in the environment of the interaction zone during laser machining can be monitored according to spectral region and location separately in order to infer the quality of the laser welding process from corresponding data. In this case, firstly the temperature of the weld seam is detected a few millimeters behind the welding hearth by measuring the IR radiation. To detect the size of splashes which are occasionally thrown out of the welding hearth, radiation is measured in the near infrared region. Moreover, the UV light of the plasma cloud is detected.
The individual detectors are in this case designed in such a way that the plasma cloud or the weld seam is projected onto the radiation-sensitive receivers.
The electrical signals which are delivered by the radiation-sensitive receivers and which correspond to the radiation detected at any given time are then suitably evaluated in order to be able to make statements about the quality of the individual machining operation. While larger splashes and holes arising in connection therewith in the weld seam can be detected reliably, with conventional online quality monitoring it is almost impossible to detect very small welding faults and holes, as the signal fluctuations arising due to corresponding small splashes or spittings lie within the permitted width of fluctuation of the measurement signals which may occur with perfect laser machining.
Starting from this, it is the object of the invention to provide a further method for monitoring a laser machining operation to be performed on a work piece, which makes it possible to reliably detect even small faults in laser machining, in particular small spittings/splashes or holes in the weld seam. In addition, it is the object of the invention to provide a sensor device for carrying out a method of this kind as well as a laser machining head equipped therewith.
According to the invention, it is therefore provided that a given field of observation is selected in the region of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece, that is, on the interaction zone itself or in the environment thereof, and that a signal delivered by a radiation-sensitive receiver and corresponding to the detected radiation is subjected to filtering in order to detect smaller faults such as small spittings or splashes as well as small holes, and in order then to evaluate the filtered electrical signal for the detection of faults during the laser machining operation.
In order to be able to detect small and very small faults during the laser machining operation, a special, clearly defined field of observation is therefore fixed, and the electrical signal corresponding to the radiation coming from this field of observation is filtered so that signal fluctuations caused by smaller machining faults can be detected as well.
The selection of a given field of observation can in this case be made variously, depending on the design of the radiation-sensitive receiver. For instance, it is conceivable that a CCD image sensor is used as the radiation-sensitive receiver in order to fix the field of observation by selection of corresponding pixels of the receiver. A similar procedure could also be carried out with a row of CCD sensors.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is however provided that for the selection of a given field of observation the interaction zone is projected onto a stop arranged in front of the radiation-sensitive receiver. This not only makes it possible to clearly define a given field of observation and effectively reduce scattered light from other regions, but it is also possible, irrespective of the design of the radiation-sensitive receiver, that is, irrespective of the shape of its radiation-sensitive receiver surface, to fix a precise field of observation which can be shaped as desired and which can be e.g. punctiform or linear.
An appropriate development of the invention is distinguished by the fact that a spectral sensitivity of the radiation-sensitive receiver is fixed according to the selected field of observation.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that the electrical signal is subjected to high-pass filtering, wherein the filtered electrical signal is compared with stored values of a perfect machining operation.
By means of the high-pass filtering according to the invention, in combination with the suppression of perturbing radiation from regions other than the selected field of observation, fluctuations of the electrical output signal of the receiver which are caused by small faults in the machining operation can be detected reliably, so that quality monitoring for laser machining operations can be substantially improved.
To carry out the method according to the invention, a sensor device is provided with a local-resolution receiver assembly with which an area in the region of the interaction zone can be selected as a field of observation so that the receiver assembly delivers an electrical output signal corresponding to the detected radiation from the field of observation, and with a signal processing circuit which processes the output signal of the receiver assembly after suitable filtering in order to detect faults during the laser machining operation.
Appropriately, the signal processing circuit comprises a filter circuit for filtering the output signal of the receiver assembly and an evaluating circuit which evaluates the filtered electrical signal. The filter circuit is in this case preferably a high-pass filter.
In order to be able to carry out the monitoring according to the invention with a plurality of different laser machining operations for the most varied materials, it is provided that the evaluating circuit includes storage means for storing threshold values and/or output signal values of a perfect machining operation and a comparator circuit which compares the detected, filtered output signal with the stored values and delivers a reference signal which indicates faults during the machining process.
In a particularly appropriate embodiment of the invention it is provided that the local-resolution receiver assembly includes a projection lens with which an area in the region of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece can be projected onto a stop in order to select a given field of observation, and a radiation-sensitive receiver which is arranged optically behind the stop in the radiation direction of the radiation to be detected and delivers an electrical output signal corresponding to the detected radiation.
In order to be able to carry out satisfactory adjustment of the monitoring beam path of the sensor device even when the sensor device is fixed relative to the interaction zone, that is, for example held fast on a laser machining head, it is provided that the optical distance between projection lens and stop is variable, wherein the stop is slidable perpendicularly to the optical axis of the projection lens in at least one direction, but preferably in two directions linearly independent of each other, in order to be able to select a given area in the region of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece as the field of observation.
An apertured stop which fixes a central field of observation, or a stop inverse thereto for covering a central region, can be provided as the stop. Rationally, the shape of the stop, e.g. point, circle, quadrangle, line or the like, is selected according to the spectral sensitivity of the receiver.
Thus for example it is possible that, when the radiation-sensitive receiver is a temperature sensor, in particular a temperature sensor sensitive to infrared radiation, the receiver is combined either with an apertured stop or with a stop inverse thereto. In the former case, the receiver used as a temperature sensor is oriented in such a way that the apertured stop fixes an observation spot following welding. Together with an inverse stop which masks the so-called keyhole region, the temperature sensor can be used to detect infrared radiation from the whole of the environment of the keyhole or welding hearth.
In another embodiment of the invention it is provided that the radiation-sensitive receiver is a receiver sensitive to plasma radiation. A receiver of this kind is used with an apertured stop which fixes a region of the plasma cloud as the field of observation in order to greatly improve the signal-to-noise ratio on account of normally great fluctuations in the plasma cloud. If a receiver which is sensitive to the machining laser radiation is used to detect the back reflex, that is, the machining laser radiation reflected back by the machining region, due to the combination of a receiver of this kind with an apertured stop the scattered laser radiation at the plasma cloud can be largely suppressed.
To simplify selection and adjustment of a field of observation, in an appropriate embodiment of the invention it is provided that a device is provided for observing the selection of a field of observation in the region of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece, which comprises an observation lens whose observation beam path can be coupled via a beam splitter mirror to the monitoring beam path, wherein the device for observing the selection of a field of observation is a camera, preferably a video camera.
A further improvement and simplification of adjustment of the sensor device according to the invention can be achieved if there is provided a light source which illuminates the stop from the receiver side during adjustment of the local-resolution receiver assembly, so that an image of the stop can be observed on the work piece for selection of a field of observation in the region of the interaction zone between laser beam and work piece, wherein for adjustment of the local-resolution receiver assembly the light source can be exchanged for the radiation-sensitive receiver and moved with the stop.
A laser light source or a cold light source with fibre bundle can be provided as the light source here. A particular advantage of the cold light source lies in that, for fixing the field of observation, the stop can also be adjusted on components which are very hard to see, using an observation camera.
If a laser machining head is equipped with a sensor device according to the invention, it is particularly advantageous if the sensor device is arranged in such a way that the monitoring beam path and if occasion arises the observation beam path is coupled via a beam splitter mirror to the laser machining beam path in such a way that the focussing lens for a working laser beam together with the projection lens of the receiver assembly projects the selected field of observation onto the stop.